Mobility platform, BuuPass has expressed its willingness to digitize space with its technology across Africa.
BuuPass, which has its roots in Kenya, offers an online bus reservation system that allows travelers to reserve seats and make payments in a convenient and timely manner. The enterprise-backed startup, through its all-in-one web and application programming interface (API) solutions, serves both transport operators and travelers across Africa.
Founded in 2016, BuuPass provides solutions to both operators and end users in the mobility ecosystem. Its web platform enables long-distance transport operators to digitize and manage their services, inventory and sales, minimize cash leaks and make online reservations seamlessly through its Bus Management System (BMS).
With a focus on bridging the gap between carriers and the more than 500 million mobile phone users in sub-Saharan Africa, founders Wyclife Omondi and Sonia Kabra said: “BuuPass solves major customer pain points on the B2B side and B2C while creating a scalable infrastructure and digitizing the transportation industry from the ground up. However, digitizing mobility in Africa would not be a piece of cake, given the regional complexities of the continent.”
According to the International Transport Forum (2018) Blockchain and Beyond, held in Paris, three main layers are required to drive the digitization of mobility: operators, IT providers and mobility service providers.
In these, although transit agencies are a central part of the mobility value chain, travelers often face cost trials and tedious booking processes. “It takes travelers unnecessary time and money to compare platforms while trying to book tickets. With the digitization of BuuPass, both challenges are solved because we not only reduce costs for users or travelers, but also reduce administrative overhead for bus operators by offering a fleet and package management solution,” said Omondi. .
According to the OECD report, physical ICT infrastructures, such as wireless networks and cables, are important for the dissemination of essential information, from schedules, destinations and fares. The API also helps determine the communication methods that allow public retrieval. To deliver on its value proposition, BuuPass said it has partnered with Safaricom, East Africa’s largest mobile network operator, to provide accommodation, security and flexible digital payments through M-Pesa.
As a mobility service provider, BuuPass said it aggregates key information, ranging from data including location, time and price, relevant for travelers and authorities to run regulatory functions.
With more than 1,000,000 bus users, more than 920 buses in operation and more than 800 locations covered in Kenya and Uganda, BuuPass said that its all-in-one platform is proving its ability to alleviate obstacles for transport operators and at the same time facilitate the comfort of travelers.
The platform currently processes more than 10,000 bookings daily and aims to quadruple this number in the first quarter of 2023.
Kabara said: “While the race to digitize mobility in Africa is far from over, BuuPass is one of the few solution providers trying to ensure that everyone in the value chain is served, one pan-African country at a time. We are different because we have something for everyone in the value chain: operators, travelers and regulators. We are making sure that no one is left behind.”
